What's covered
Key facts
Rapid urban growth causes congestion because road capacity and public transport investment lag behind rising car ownership and population.
Africa is projected to see the fastest urban population growth over the next 30 years.
Traffic congestion is the build-up of vehicles on a road such that traffic moves slowly or comes to a standstill.
The majority of the world's largest cities (megacities) are now in developing countries.
An informal settlement is an area of self-built housing constructed without planning permission on land the occupants typically do not own.
A megacity is a city with a population of more than 10 million people.
Informal settlements in LIC cities generally lack reliable clean water, sanitation, and waste collection.
Pull factors are conditions at a destination that attract migrants, such as jobs and better services.
Fast-growing megacities typically experience housing shortages alongside expanding unplanned settlements on the urban fringe.
Typical urban pull factors include better-paid jobs, schools, healthcare, and entertainment.
Sample questions
A taste of the 23 questions in this topic — answers marked. Sign up to practise the full set with spaced repetition.
What is the main challenge of rapid urbanisation in LICs?
- •Cities in LICs experience more natural disasters than rural areas
- ✓Infrastructure cannot keep pace with rapid population growth
- •LIC governments deliberately restrict urban growth to protect rural farming areas
- •Rapid urbanisation always leads to conflict between different ethnic groups
What is a megacity?
- •a city with a population of more than 1 million people
- ✓a city with a population of more than 10 million people
- •a rapidly growing city that has recently expanded beyond its boundaries
- •the capital city of a country with the largest total population
Why does rapid urban growth often lead to traffic congestion?
- •Cities deliberately ban traffic lights to encourage public transport
- •Petrol prices fall sharply in fast-growing cities, encouraging driving
- ✓Road infrastructure lags behind the population's rising car ownership
- •Rural workers commute longer distances than urban-born residents
What is rural-urban migration?
- •Movement from cities to rural areas seeking a better quality of life
- ✓Movement of people from rural areas to cities for work and services
- •Movement of retired people from cities to coastal or rural areas
- •The temporary movement of agricultural workers between farming regions
What is a squatter settlement?
- •Apartments built by the government
- •Hotels for visiting tourists
- •Houses for rich city residents
- ✓Unplanned housing built on unused land
What is urbanisation?
- •Building of villages in countryside
- ✓Growth of cities and movement of people to them
- •Growth of farmland in cities
- •Movement of people out of cities
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